Cyberspace; The Ultimus Collection

Chapter 44, Jailbirds

The sun had begun to set on the world of the Internet. Dusk had fallen and the city's residents relaxed and settled in for another peaceful night. All except for one mansion... 

"Green!" Catelin cheered, throwing down a playing card. 

"I don't have any fucking greens!" Vincent shouted. 

"I know, that's why I made the color green!" Vincent began to draw from the large deck of cards in the center of the table. He picked up one, and then another, and another, and another... 

"Who the hell shuffled this?!" Daniel frantically waved his hand, pointing to himself with such enthusiasm, all the while chugging his drink. Eventually, Vincent stopped drawing cards, placing his last drawn one. "Finally." He sighed. A devilish grin creeped across Ashley's face.

"Reverse!" She said, stifling a laugh. Vincent slowly turned to Ashley, shooting daggers. "Oh come on, you mean to tell me you don't have any greens OR reverses?"

"No because YOU have them all!" 

"Alright guys! Pizza's done!" Derick called out from the kitchen. Everyone frantically threw down their cards and ran towards the dining room. 

"Man, fuck this game." Throwing the chairs back, the newfound guardians took their seats, ready for dinner. Daniel and Catelin sat next to each other with Vincent and Ashley across from them. Derick emerged from the kitchen carrying two large, steaming pizzas. He gently placed them down and took his seat at the head of the table. A slice adorned every plate. Cheese, pepperoni, sausage, a mix of your standard toppings. The grand feast had commenced, one that would mark the end of their period of celebration. Derick swallowed his bite and washed it down with his tea before breaking the silence of the room. 

"Oh, Daniel. Make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight. We're going to wake up bright and early to train tomorrow." 

"Do we really need to? I know it's important and all, but I mean come on! All things considered; we've had a pretty laxed break. Like, we just beat a super strong monster, I don't think there'll be anyone stupid enough to try and kill us again for a while." Daniel proclaimed through a mouth full of bread and cheese. 

The loud buzzing of fluorescent bulbs rang out against the concrete and metal walls. Big boots and heavy footsteps caused the rickety old, rusted catwalks to creak. The soft murmuring of delinquents filled the empty space. Off in the distance, harsh beeps and alarms sounded off to indicate and warn those who were near. The clanking of damaged gears and cogs drowned out any other sensory input as large metallic doors slid open. Guards patrolled by, keys clinking and jingling as they went along. A metal nightstick clanging against the steel bars, a heavy rifle bouncing on the guard's back with every step. 

"Scheiße, Scheiße! Ich brauche Power! Ich brauche Strom!" A portly man cried from his cell. He was curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth on the ground. One of the guards approached the bars.

"Gustav! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Ach, Wächter! Ich brauche meinen Strom! Ich werde wahnsinnig! Bitte, nur ein kurzer kleiner Ruck! Das ist alles, worum ich Sie bitte!" He pleaded. 

"English, Gustav! English! You know I can't speak German!" 

"He suffers from mind fracture, warden." A thick Russian accent intervened. The guard marched to the cell one over. There, sitting on his bed lifting weights, was a very large, very muscular man. "You should've known that from your briefing. He can't respond to you how you want him to, unless he has his fix." 

"The fuck are you talking about Ivan?" 

"Give Gustav a battery warden, then he'll be more cooperative."